The Silver Lining

FOUR

THE sunrays kissed Lisa's face as the morning loomed and Lisa could feel the warmth of the morning that soothed her aching veins. Her grandma had just walked in with boxes full of her favorite chocolate-chip cookies and tears in eyes. She cried all her worries out until Ashton walked in with news.

While Ashton distracted Grandma, Lisa skimmed through the pile of files he had brought. Files were neatly tagged with many names.

Driscoll...
Clerkenwell...
Sinaloa..
Triads...
D-Company...

so on and so forth...

She was genuinely intrigued when she read the names. 'Is he meddling with the business of Organised Crime Unit?' She wanted to ask him so many questions. She also wanted to tell him that she remembers the last words that she heard.

But... Lisa wasn't wrong to observe that Ashton was in totally different mood today. She couldn't put a finger to it, but she knew something serious is cooking on his head.

Finally, when Grandma Hall excused herself for a moment, he approached Lisa and handed her bunch of files.

"Got those goons, gal! Finally..!" He was so excited but was weirdly careful with the words. "Listen, I have been assigned to a special task. I will be working with OCU. I got a case and I will be joining the team for the hunt."

"I..." Lisa couldn't find words. Of all times, why now? Why him? "I'm happy for you!" Lisa murmured, with almost zero zeal.

"So... About your culprit...I was thinking that..." Ashton pulled out some files and placed before Lisa. "Maybe check out the files? Point at some direction, Lisa. I beg you."

'And I want to', thought Lisa. But she merely nodded without speaking up her mind. She knew that Ashton always wanted to work with OCU and she didn't want to be a reason to pull Ashton away from his dreams.

It was a long travel and he would be poking into the dark, in a lone forest, around the curb of the State, sure, but the goons Ashton's Unit was hunting, have had blood and drugs on their hands since long time.

A lot of people needed to be brought to justice, a lot of lives were about to be saved.

And Ashton was one of the reason!

what more could she ask?!

She was brought to reality when Ashton snapped in front of her eyes... for a couple of times...

Ashton showed her a few mug-shots and asked her to surf through the files.

With a nod, she brushed through what looked like a book of criminals' database named 'Driscoll Cartel' and identified two peculiar men, whose photos were sticked at page six.

She stared at the photos... her pupils dilated and fear postered all over her face... everything that had happened for last couple of days flashed before her eyes, like she had seen a movie.

She glanced again at the mug-shots...

White pale skin...
slim build...
a lot of hair on face...
red eyes...
and those distinctive injury marks...

She could never forget those marks.

She confirmed them to be the goons from the ally and that's all Ashton needed. He left the room with the files and promised to drop Grandma at her home before joining his team.

Soon after their departure and a routine check up from the medical posse, Lisa inhaled the solitude and the remainder of her grandma's lavender perfume that had perfectly blended with the room-air.

She was about to rest her head back on the pillow when Oliver walked in. He wore his casual attire, which looked funny, according to Lisa. While she controlled her laughter, he handed her a box-file before settling in a chair nearby.